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Artist : Fu-ten
Album Title : Flip Hop
Styles : Organic Hip-Hop / Jazzy Hip-Hop
Label : Next Level
Reference Code :
NLCD067
Released : 2005/04/28
Running Time : 54:46
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| REVIEW >>> The album's name Flip Hop well describes the groups new material as a whole, all of the album's 17 tracks are more or less bringing something new to the table whether it is mixing some reggae influence to the beats or just delivering fresh sounds of pure hip-hop while flipping the whole script upside down. What made Music Is Expression so special was the energy and the passion of the whole album and how it made hip-hop so fresh with Fu-Ten's mix of english, japanese and french raps and the organic jazzy beats that kept you nodding your head. While topping their first effort would be an impossible task to accomplish in the minds of any hip-hop fans who cherished it 2 years ago, Flip Hop succeeds on some areas but also comes out as a dissapointment in others for many. Despite the superiority of their first album let it be known that Flip Hop is not a total dissapointment and will receive the appropriate score on the review scale that it honestly deserves. Before clicking back on your browsers sit back with us to discuss the albums worst and finest achievements. Flipping the script on it's head is a positive thing no doubt but doesn't mean that it automatically succeeds when attempted. The production side by DJ Suwa is fresh throughout most of the albums tracks but honestly what happened to the duo of rappers that brought us one of the freshest albums in recent memory the last time they came out of the studio? The biggest letdown of the album is that Mili and B-BandJ seemed to have lost their energy which affects both, their delivery and their lyrics. The album's hooks often tend to get corny and the duo feel like shadows of their former glory. This especially hurts the album because all in all there is only 11 full tracks to be found here with the rest being interludes and skits. It is impossible to know if the trio ended up losing most of their inspiration due to the tragic death of Fujitani and that is most likely a question we'll never get the answer for. DJ Suwa shows much versatility on the album however and his production work is the driving force of the album during the lazy verses by Mili and B-BandJ. The verses would not be so bad if the chorus work wasn't so bad. Everytime you start to get into the songs the chorus work interrupts the listening experience and makes you wish the whole album would be available as instrumental only. The harmony of the beats and raps from their first album is gone and what is with the rap metal? Fu-Ten is the last group on earth you would expect to hear it from and not that is wrong to do that type of music but it is not acceptable when it's badly done and definetely makes you wonder why the track M.V.R. was released as the promotional video Flip Hop. Well at least there are some of them nice jazzy beats that you're used to hearing from these people. Please oh please let Fu-Ten redeem themselves on their next album whenever it will be released because it would be a shame to see a group with so much respect and talent to just lose it so quickly. It is painful to listen to the skits on the album and hear the classic Fu-Ten tracks on the background and then be served with something that sounds hurried and uninspired straight after. The french verses are also gone except for one 10 second effort on the album's last track. A shame is also the fact that Fu-Ten is only now crossing over to America on their tour when they should have done that with their first album that was many times better than this and could have been their ticket to fame overseas. For an example on the album's opener DJ Suwa kicks off a nice beat for your ears which quickly gets ruined by a homosexual sounding George Michael style hook straight from his even more homosexual records from the 1980's. Of course this is just meant to lighten up this review as a joke but it's not that far from the actual truth, honestly. If the album was all instrumental beats the album would easilly be a must buy and would deserve at least 4 stars on our review scale but sadly it's not and this is painfully clear when the best song of the release is actually the only instrumental cut. Maybe the inspiration and the genuine positivity of the group died with Fujitani's accident but for the sake of Fu-Ten's fans and the new generation hip-hop groups let's hope the trio can come out with something more inspired the next time around, at least on the lyrical side. Rating : Words By : Jesse Viinikainen |
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| ADDITIONAL
INFO >>> Fu-Ten is a Kyoto based Japanese hip-hop group that formed in the late 2000. Originally the group consisted of 4 members Mili, B-BandJ, DJ Suwa and M.Fujitani who tragically died in a motorcycle accident in September of 2003. Flip Hop is the groups 4th release and 2nd full album. Mili and B-BandJ have both had a lot of success before the group was formed mainly on Naked Artz (Mili) and Mondo Grosso (B-BandJ's ex group). |
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03. XXX